Whether you enjoy wilderness backpacking or just subscribe to the one bag travel philosophy a lot of little items can quickly add to up a lot of weight to carry around. Save weight and bulk by drying toothpaste into toothpaste dots for use while on the go.

Tactical skills weblog Imminent Threat Solutions shares a simple method for making toothpaste dots by squeezing small, chocolate-chip sized "dots" of toothpaste onto aluminum foil, allowing those dots to harden for a week or so, and then transferring to a small waterproof bag. To use, all you need to do is pop a toothpaste dot in your mouth, chew for a few seconds, and start brushing. Two caveats: this technique doesn't work with gel toothpaste (check out the source link for photos) and you'll want to toss a pinch of baking soda in your storage bag to keep the dots from sticking.

In addition to backpacking and traveling, I can see this also being a good thing to keep in your go bag with one of those small travel toothbrushes for times you'd like to brush your teeth at the office or on the go.